Thursday, December 27, 2012

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas celebration. Mine went pretty well, except for the fact that I'm not used to drinking both red and white wines for dinner. The next morning, I felt a little bit hazy. Since it was Christmas Day, I turned to my strongest 'hangover tea', the 1960s loose raw puerh. And it worked great: I felt clear and high spirited after a couple of teapots!

Tea continues to inspire, nurture and even heal my body and soul! I want to share with you these 12 pictures marking some of my greatest tea moments in 2012:

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

I celebrated Christmas with this Cha Xi next to my Christmas tree. What tea would fit this special occasion? Christmas is a time where expensive gifts are given. It started 2000 years ago with the 3 kings (wise men) who brought gold, incense and myrrh. But the biggest gift of all is the one given to us by Jesus: the love of God! This love is both priceless and free, like the love of a mother. So, I decided to brew this 1960 red tea from Georgia (former USSR). Vladimir, a passionate tea drinker gave me this box of old red tea when he visited me this early December. Such an old tea is indeed a priceless gift, especially for someone who likes old tea like I do!

This metallic box contains tea as a sample and wasn't meant to be sold, but kept for quality control. The label mentions it was made in July 1960.

The dry leaves are in very good condition (thanks to Russia's dry climate). The fragrance has a spicy touch that reminds me of Glühwine (mulled wine)! It also has the wooden fragrances of old Baozhong, but smells more fruity. Compared to old Baozhong, it smells younger than its age, thanks to the good storage.

I should probably also explain why I choose my cheap 'ivory' white porcelain gaiwan and classic cups to brew this special tea. It has to do with the spirit and symbol of Christmas.

First, Jesus was born in a stable and the first informed of his birth were simple shepherds. This shows how humble and simple Jesus came into this world. The inexpensive porcelain accessories try to reflect this humility and simplicity.

On a second more symbolic level, I find it interesting to see the gaiwan like mother Mary giving birth to the brew. And here it makes sense to have the gaiwan made from a 'ivory' porcelain that is similar to Blanc de Chine, De Hua porcelain. Why? Because this reminds me of the popular Guanyin (Boddhisatva) figurines made with this porcelain. Even people in Europe, in the 17-18th century, collected these figurines. They were amazed, I think, by the similarity between Guanyin and Mary! This feminine goddess can be seen as a bridge between Eastern and Western spirituality!

On a more personal level, I use these 3 quilt Cha Tuo made by my mother in France! May this Cha Xi bridge the distance that separate us during these holidays... I like the fact that these Cha Tuo add a soft and delicate feeling. It represents the fabric that was used to wrap the baby Jesus before laying it on the manger!

For my crèche, under the tree, I am using traditional wooden figurines from the Erzgebirge (in Germany). To recreate the atmosphere of a stable, I'm using ... dried tea leaves!!

They do the trick pretty well, I think. Actually, I have been drying my spent Oolong leaves for several months. I intend to use them to make a pillow (for my wife). Tea pillows are quite common in Taiwan! It's another creative way to recycle the leaves we drink.

In this Cha Xi, the dry leaves become another way of connecting my tea with the Christmas festivity!

The red tea proved to be very sweet,warm and pure, with a very old feeling. Perfect for that day! And in this tea spirit, I wish you all a wonderful Christmas!

Friday, December 21, 2012

Today, Neil, a visiting tea friend brought his favorite red tea, a Yunnan golden tip Dian Hung (left on both pictures). This gave us the idea to compare it side by side with the wild Dian Hung from my selection.

Visually, these 2 teas look quite different already. Neil's is much more golden and appears more tippy. However, a closer examination shows that my buds (right) are thinner, smaller and more concentrated. Also, my Dian Hung is full of 'hao', tea hair. Like for a Bi Luo Chun, this hair, fur is a sign that the tea was picked young. The difference in appearance makes it obvious that these 2 teas are not from the same tea tree (cultivar). In fact, my Dian Hung uses wild, old, high mountain puerh tree material.

We brewed both teas with 2 white porcelain competition sets for 6 minutes approximately. Neil's Dian Hung (left) had a slightly less clear, less bright tea brew. The leaves turned greenish. This was reflected in the scent of this tea. It still had a 'greenish' smell that shouldn't be there in a red tea. My wild Dian Hung (right) had a nice shine and the wet leaves were still red. The flavors of my Dian Hung were very clean and bright.

The taste difference was even more obvious. Neil's Dian Hung tasted sweet (good!), but flat. Nothing much else was happening in the mouth in terms of aftertaste. For my wild Dian Hung, Neil found it had a touch of astringency, but not a bad one, he added. But what it had was energy, power, life, you name it! It's a tea that continues to create many strong feelings in the mouth, after it's swallowed.

Neil asked me about what vocabulary to use to describe a good tea experience (when you are with tea friends). It's can be quite difficult to find the right words. Too detailed, they can sound like a medical exam (salivation glands are activated, blood rush to the heart...) and too poetic they will border the mystical and weird (the harmonious energies of nature transport me into another state of mind...) What I recommend is to let other drinkers talk first and try not to influence them with your own take. And be honest.

Neil and I had tasted my wild Dian Hung last year. It's from spring 2011, but I find that the aromas are more concentrated and finer now. And with the quality of its material, it's a tea that will continue to evolve well (if properly stored). With winter starting today, this is a tea I will often brew in the coming cold months...

2. Yixing modern zhuni Long Dan teapot - A dragon egg shaped teapot for high mountain Oolong. This teapot is sold out now. Next year, I will try my best to find more Yixing teapots from different makers.
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About Me

My name is Stéphane Erler. I live in Taiwan since 1996 and have been studying tea with Teaparker. He's a worldwide tea expert and author of over 30 tea books. The study of tea isn't just theoretical, but it's also rooted in daily practice. It's a path of continuous improvement. As my brewing technique improves I get access to better teas and better accessories. These things go hand in hand. My blog documents my learning since 2004. And I have set up an online tea boutique with my selection of top quality teas, accessories and tea culture.